Exercise training improves lung diffusing capacity and exercise ventilation in patients with heart failure

Background: In heart failure (HF) patients, benefits deriving from exercise training (ET) programs are multifactorial. It is unexplored whether lung gas exchange and exercise ventilation may benefit from ET and have a role in the patients clinical improvement. Objective: To test whether in stable HF, ET facilitates lung diffusing capacity and ameliorates exercise ventilatory efficiency (VE/VCO2 slope). Methods: Diffusing lung capacity for carbon monoxide (DLco) at rest and its subdivisions (DM, alveolar-capillary membrane conductance, and VC, pulmonary capillary blood volume) as well as VE/VCO2 slope and peak VO2 on exercise (cycle ergometry ramp protocol), were assessed in 15 stable HF patients (NYHA class II to III), preceding and following a low-intensity training program.